Lack of 20-Something Professionals in The Adult Art and Literary World....

Is there a typical age when an artist or writer become a professional? Do any pro artist-writers reading this know of any consistent answer to this mystery?

How many 20-somethings out there actually find work as a writer and/or artists at such a young age? It kind of seems like, as far as animation and comics are concerned, age and experience go with success...

Fame and Support

If there's one thing fame and success give you, that you don't ever achieve at, say, my level, it would definitely be re-assurance. Even when I'm most successful, due to the nature of the way I live with a family that doesn't actually support me, I never have the comfort and empowerment of re-assurance. Plenty of people look over my shoulder (often without my permission or consulting me), but hardly anyone ever gives me feedback in the form of re-assurance. No one ever directly comments on my art. Far as I know know one knows who I am and everyone hates what I do. Due to the fact that no one reassures any of my decisions (or decision making), whether from higher ups OR lower downs, far as I know no one gives a shit about anything I do. And people wonder why I make the decisions about my art that I do. YOU TRY not getting any direct fucking input from the public about what you do, and we'll see how happy you are....I work based on intuitive assumption, not input. I'm really the only one who approves ANYTHING I do...in general.

New To American Animation: Innovation in Animation

List of Production Elements That Seem to be On The Rise in Western TV Animation:

• Fight Design; Fight Choreography
• Production Design; Architectural Perspective (Fantasy; Science-Fiction)
• Mecha; Machines
• Costume Design
• Lighting Concept Design
• Conceptual Art
• Screenwriting
• Intense Action
• Firearms; Weapons
• Aspect-To-Aspect Transitions (Storyboards)

Some of these production aspects and fields orginated in anime, and have been adapted by Western Artists. But some seem to have caught on in the animation industry seemingly out of nowhere. That's right, we're on the cutting edge of innovation in animation here...

Lighting Design

Aside from returning to sketching, I've been exploring a hobby or two.

Current hobby of the moment:

• Lighting Concept Design; Lighting Concept Art

I was looking at my "The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated Series" book, and I LOVE that book! I love lighting concepts that explore the lighting element of concept art.

The type of lighting concepts I design are often in the Notan / Neo-Noir Style, but Lighting Concepts nonetheless. The reason I love the Star Wars production art book is it made me realize I'm not alone in my design pursuits.

If I had to describe my lighting concept (art) style, in one word, I'd say it's both "Japanese" and "American" and East Meets West. Notan is a very Japanese thing. Neo-Noir is a very revivalist American thing. But I like how there's a rich heritage of design in both Asia/Japan AND Europe/America. Black and White artwork reflects this combination quite perfectly in my opinion, and on paper.

"Pre-Production Hobbyist"

I produce pre-production artwork (storyboards, character design, concept design, lighting concept design, production design) and scripts as a hobby, not as a profession. It’s “doujin” or fan pre-production, in other words.

I draw art in the form of speculative animation pre-production artwork because it's fun, and I'm obsessed with the animation production process as an animation fan, artist, and would-be professional.

It's only natural I'd have a desire to draw and write my own rendition of it, regardless of whether it's "professional enough" or not. It's still a valid form of self-expression and recretational hobby, even when it's a lot of hard work that's never going to get seen. That's just how I roll. I like designing "imaginary TV shows in my head".

"Unpaid spec work" and "spec project" or "spec" is the key word here.

I used to wonder why I did "spec pre-production work" if all it was going to do was sit around on my desk, and never actually get used in TV. Now I know.

Actually, I've already got a decade's worth of experience prolifically developing and producing "spec work". I'm just really, REALLY good at working for free. 1,000s of pages worth, in terms of artwork.

Drawing: Mental, or Physical?

I did a web search on this topic, and didn't find much. Drawing requires both mental and physical energy, but it actually doesn't seem like either aspect of drawing is the universal majority for all artists. Some artists eat healthy. Some don't. Some artists are well groomed, some aren't. Some artists are attractive, others not so much. The thing is, drawing IS part mental and psychological, and part energetic and physical.

The only real reason I bring this up is that in the past I've found heavy amounts of drawing to be physically fatiguing, draining, and exhausting. When I was very young and had tons of energy to burn and was more in shape, I was less drained by my drawing process. But as I got older, and fatter, I found drawing was less easy with the more out of shape I got, to the point of me barely practicing at all, purely because of how much energy it drained from me whenever I attempted it. It was a stressful period of my life, and I did a LOT of stress eating, and got very little exercise.

Though it varies with the artist, drawing does take a certain amount of physical energy, particularly detail-heavy drawing where the whole page is filled up or drawn on an epic size and scale.

-J.M.-

This blog is overdue for some refreshment...as manifested by a new post

but what to talk about. There are a million things one COULD talk about, but is there an audience for all of those things? Are people really so selective? Just thinking in print here (i.e. aloud).

I suppose I should hurry. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is airing on Adult Swim, either now or so. I never miss an episode really. I know they're reruns, but ATHF is comforting. It really is. I can really relate to Frylock, in a supergenius kind of way I guess.

-JM-